"TWO TREES, ONE CHOICE"
Friday, July 1, 2022
“TWO TREES, ONE CHOICE
Choices…we have a love-hate relationship with them. Some days, I’m simply too tired to make even one more choice. But not making a choice is — by default — making a choice. So no matter what I choose, it can feel meaningless…a chasing after the wind. Everything in life is, after all, a choice:
We choose to stay or move.
We choose to speak or listen.
We choose to work or rest.
No matter what we are doing right now, it’s because we made a choice (or someone else made a choice for us). In the end, life is choosing. And in the end, we can choose life.
In the Biblical story of the Garden of Eden, we read that God placed a choice in the presence of creation. “In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil….The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. And the Lord God commanded the man, ‘You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it, you will certainly die.’” (Genesis 2:9, 15-17)
The choice wasn’t just a choice of obedience, but it was a choice between two things humans desire: knowledge and life. Our summer series begins this Sunday, and we dive into the deep end of this choice.
If God had placed me in the Garden of Eden and told me about the two trees, I’d like to think I’d choose the tree of life. But knowledge — especially the promise of spectacular knowledge — is so tempting for the human species. We believe knowledge leads to life. We believe knowledge is the key to a fulfilled life. We pursue knowledge and information and coin phrases like, “Knowledge is power. Information is power.” In the words of the often criticized under-educated of my regional upbringing, “But what if it ain’t?”
The Apostle Paul was considered one of the most educated men of his time. And yet, he came to this conclusion, “Knowledge puffs up while love builds up.” (1 Corinthians 8:1)
Over the next two months, I want to ask questions about pursuit, desire, fulfillment, and choice. Why do we choose what we choose? Between the tree of life and the tree of knowledge, which do you naturally gravitate towards? Do we believe that knowledge is the pivotal piece of living the Christian life, or is choosing life the critical key to understanding the deeper mysteries of God? And must I choose one over the other?
Through all of this, I hope to hear the whisper of God’s voice reminding us, “Choose life!”
See you Sunday!
We choose to stay or move.
We choose to speak or listen.
We choose to work or rest.
No matter what we are doing right now, it’s because we made a choice (or someone else made a choice for us). In the end, life is choosing. And in the end, we can choose life.
In the Biblical story of the Garden of Eden, we read that God placed a choice in the presence of creation. “In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil….The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. And the Lord God commanded the man, ‘You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it, you will certainly die.’” (Genesis 2:9, 15-17)
The choice wasn’t just a choice of obedience, but it was a choice between two things humans desire: knowledge and life. Our summer series begins this Sunday, and we dive into the deep end of this choice.
If God had placed me in the Garden of Eden and told me about the two trees, I’d like to think I’d choose the tree of life. But knowledge — especially the promise of spectacular knowledge — is so tempting for the human species. We believe knowledge leads to life. We believe knowledge is the key to a fulfilled life. We pursue knowledge and information and coin phrases like, “Knowledge is power. Information is power.” In the words of the often criticized under-educated of my regional upbringing, “But what if it ain’t?”
The Apostle Paul was considered one of the most educated men of his time. And yet, he came to this conclusion, “Knowledge puffs up while love builds up.” (1 Corinthians 8:1)
Over the next two months, I want to ask questions about pursuit, desire, fulfillment, and choice. Why do we choose what we choose? Between the tree of life and the tree of knowledge, which do you naturally gravitate towards? Do we believe that knowledge is the pivotal piece of living the Christian life, or is choosing life the critical key to understanding the deeper mysteries of God? And must I choose one over the other?
Through all of this, I hope to hear the whisper of God’s voice reminding us, “Choose life!”
See you Sunday!
Summer Series Introduction
Speaker: Chris Goldman
Speaker: Chris Goldman
Posted in Lead Pastor